Outward Direct investment, Assets (gross), All financial instruments in South Africa

South Africa: Outward Direct investment, Assets (gross), All financial instruments was 3.71 billion in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
3.71 billion
Change on year
down 3.2%
World rank
38th
of 245 countries
All-time high
7.24 billion
in 2017
All-time low
83.49 million
in 2010
Years of data
16
2009–2024

Outward Direct investment, Assets (gross), All financial instruments in South Africa, 2009–2024

02.0B4.0B6.0B8.0B2009201620242009: 460.7M2010: 83.5M2011: 221.6M2012: 355.9M2013: 2.2B2014: 2.2B2015: 2.1B2016: 6.3B2017: 7.2B2018: 7.2B2019: 2.5B2020: 4.0B2021: 3.2B2022: 3.1B2023: 3.8B2024: 3.7B

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 3.71 billion for outward direct investment, assets (gross), all financial instruments in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.2% on the previous year and up 65.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, outward direct investment, assets (gross), all financial instruments in South Africa peaked at 7.24 billion in 2017 and was at its lowest, 83.49 million, in 2010.

South Africa ranks 38th of 245 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Outward Direct investment, Assets (gross), All financial instruments in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Outward Direct investment, Assets (gross), All financial instruments, Fellow enterprises (World, Derived using counterparty information) in South Africa, 2009 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2009 460.74 million
2010 83.49 million -81.9%
2011 221.61 million +165.4%
2012 355.93 million +60.6%
2013 2.15 billion +504.3%
2014 2.25 billion +4.4%
2015 2.13 billion -5.1%
2016 6.35 billion +197.9%
2017 7.24 billion +14.0%
2018 7.20 billion -0.5%
2019 2.52 billion -65.0%
2020 4.01 billion +59.3%
2021 3.19 billion -20.4%
2022 3.14 billion -1.7%
2023 3.83 billion +22.2%
2024 3.71 billion -3.2%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 3.71 billion is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 43.41 million, 85.5× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 3.71 billion is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.41 million, 440.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Outward Direct investment, Assets (gross), All financial instruments in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2013 +504.3% 355.93 million 2.15 billion

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 460.74 million 460.74 million 460.74 million 1
2010s 3.05 billion 83.49 million 7.24 billion 10
2020s 3.58 billion 3.14 billion 4.01 billion 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 35 India 4.50 billion compare
  2. 36 Slovakia 4.00 billion compare
  3. 37 Australia 3.74 billion compare
  4. 39 Brazil 2.92 billion compare
  5. 40 Curaçao 2.84 billion compare
  6. 41 Korea 2.77 billion compare

See the full ranking of 259 places →

More financial sector data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is outward direct investment, assets (gross), all financial instruments in South Africa?
Outward direct investment, assets (gross), all financial instruments in South Africa was 3.71 billion in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest outward direct investment, assets (gross), all financial instruments recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 7.24 billion in 2017.
What is the lowest outward direct investment, assets (gross), all financial instruments recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 83.49 million in 2010.
How does South Africa rank for outward direct investment, assets (gross), all financial instruments?
South Africa ranks 38th out of 245 countries with data for 2024.
Is outward direct investment, assets (gross), all financial instruments rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 65.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Outward Direct investment, Assets (gross), All financial instruments, Fellow enterprises (World, Derived using counterparty information). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Outward Direct investment, Assets (gross), All financial instruments in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://financial-sector.statizoid.com/stat/outward-direct-investment-assets-gross-all-financial-instruments-fellow-enterprises-world/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://financial-sector.statizoid.com/stat/outward-direct-investment-assets-gross-all-financial-instruments-fellow-enterprises-world/south-africa/">Outward Direct investment, Assets (gross), All financial instruments in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Outward Direct investment, Assets (gross), All financial instruments, Fellow enterprises (World, Derived using counterparty information)
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
259 places, 4,144 data points, 2009–2024
Last refreshed

The Direct Investment Positions by Counterpart Economy dataset is based on information collected through an IMF-led global initiative on direct investment positions statistics (the Coordinated Direct Investment Survey, or CDIS). The purpose of this initiative is to enhance the quality and availability of direct investment position statistics by immediate counterpart economy and to support the objective of developing from-whom-to-whom cross-border data on direct investment positions. The DIP dataset includes (i) inward foreign direct investment positions by instrument (equity or debt) and by economy of immediate investor and (ii) outward direct investment positions by instrument (equity or debt) and by economy of immediate investment. In most instances the database contains separate data on net equity and net debt positions, as well as separate data on financial companies and fellow enterprises. The DIP dataset also includes mirror data which show values for the corresponding indicators as derived from data reported by the counterpart economies (referred to as data derived using counterparty information). These data can offer insights into inward and outward positions for economies that do not participate in the CDIS and/or do not collect direct investment positions by country or in total. For economies that do participate, these data can be used to cross-check and verify estimates and may help identify data gaps or errors at the counterpart economy level.